Incredible footage shows badgers and foxes sharing midnight feast in man's garden
Footage has been captured of the amazing moment a group of foxes and badgers gathered in a back garden for a midnight feast in Dorset.
Adrian Groves filmed the four foxes and four badgers on his mobile phone from his bedroom window at 11:20pm on Tuesday night (21 June).
Mr Groves revealed that he first spotted the group of animals congregating for snacks around two years ago after noticing them when his garden floodlight came on.
He has been leaving sunflower seeds and kibbled peanuts for the badgers as snacks - but then the foxes turned up as well.
"This happens most nights," Adrian said.
"They arrive anytime from 9pm once it's dark, but sometimes they are there at 3 or 4am in the morning."
Adrian posted the footage on Twitter - racking up more than 28,000 likes from viewers.
He added, "It is really strange seeing them together.
"People always say foxes and badgers don't get on, but ever since they've been coming in the garden, they share everything.
"There have been a few scuffles, but even the mums seem to get along."
According to the New Forest Explorers Guide, badgers and foxes coming across each other is not uncommon as both species are largely nocturnal creatures, and both live in underground tunnel systems.
It is thought they can frequently inhabit the same tunnel systems.
Field observations have long suggested that, when the two species meet, badgers are dominant to foxes, even though they may sometimes share setts or feed together in gardens.